New microphone, unanticipated complications
May 21, 2022 12:12 PM Subscribe
I take flute lessons over the internet. We've been using Facetime. On my end, I've been using an older iPad with IOS 12.55. My teacher uses either a fairly new iPhone or some other computer, presumably an Apple, of pedigree unknown to me. It's been working pretty well, I thought that perhaps a better microphone on my end would be an improvement.
My teacher has not complained about sound quality, but I bought a Samson Satellite described as USB/IOS Broadcast. Model # is SASATHD. I chose it because the price point was right and because of a comprehensible promise that it would work with Apple and non-Apple computers. But in practice, it has unexpected features, and that's what I want to ask about.
When giving the new mic a try on my Windows computer, I found out that with the mic plugged to a USB port, it turns off the system sound. To listen, you have to plug earphones into a connector on the microphone. This makes sense for recording separate tracks for various singers or instrumentalists in a studio setting. Or you might want it that way if feedback is an issue. But it makes no sense for a flute lesson, or a Zoom meeting. So there are a couple related questions: 1) When buying a mic, how do I tell if it works as described? 2) Is it likely that there is a system workaround that I have not found?
My teacher has not complained about sound quality, but I bought a Samson Satellite described as USB/IOS Broadcast. Model # is SASATHD. I chose it because the price point was right and because of a comprehensible promise that it would work with Apple and non-Apple computers. But in practice, it has unexpected features, and that's what I want to ask about.
When giving the new mic a try on my Windows computer, I found out that with the mic plugged to a USB port, it turns off the system sound. To listen, you have to plug earphones into a connector on the microphone. This makes sense for recording separate tracks for various singers or instrumentalists in a studio setting. Or you might want it that way if feedback is an issue. But it makes no sense for a flute lesson, or a Zoom meeting. So there are a couple related questions: 1) When buying a mic, how do I tell if it works as described? 2) Is it likely that there is a system workaround that I have not found?
Seconding pipeski.
My computer sometimes thinks my Yeti mic is a speaker. It's not. I have to switch it to the appropriate speaker output in Windows or whatever app I'm using like Zoom (typically it stays there absent changes).
But the problem isn't really the mic, and it doesn't really break any functionality. It's just a weird issue that is actually pretty easy to fix.
posted by J. Wilson at 12:49 PM on May 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
My computer sometimes thinks my Yeti mic is a speaker. It's not. I have to switch it to the appropriate speaker output in Windows or whatever app I'm using like Zoom (typically it stays there absent changes).
But the problem isn't really the mic, and it doesn't really break any functionality. It's just a weird issue that is actually pretty easy to fix.
posted by J. Wilson at 12:49 PM on May 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
What happens if you turn the switch on the front of the mic that says monitor to off? That should turn off the headphone port and hopefully revert your output device back to the default speakers.
If that doesn't work, then you can definitely change the output device in your sound settings on your computer (and leave the mic as the input device).
posted by ssg at 12:50 PM on May 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
If that doesn't work, then you can definitely change the output device in your sound settings on your computer (and leave the mic as the input device).
posted by ssg at 12:50 PM on May 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
Yeti mics, at least, are also speakers. It sounds like yours is the same. They're speakers in the sense that they have a headphone jack and it can output sound, and so if you plug them in then obviously that's where the output sound should go.
Fortunately, this is your computer's first guess, not the only option going. You should find in your advanced system sound settings (I'm used to a Mac but I would put money Windows is the same) that you can choose the input and the output independently. Some meeting software even lets you do this from the meeting program - it tells you both what system settings there are and what overrides you can choose.
So you ought to be able to do this from either place - the system settings (in your case, in the sound setting page of Control Panel), or, if you're lucky, the meeting program itself.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 11:54 PM on May 21, 2022
Fortunately, this is your computer's first guess, not the only option going. You should find in your advanced system sound settings (I'm used to a Mac but I would put money Windows is the same) that you can choose the input and the output independently. Some meeting software even lets you do this from the meeting program - it tells you both what system settings there are and what overrides you can choose.
So you ought to be able to do this from either place - the system settings (in your case, in the sound setting page of Control Panel), or, if you're lucky, the meeting program itself.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 11:54 PM on May 21, 2022
Response by poster: Thank you all. Assured by you that the answers were part of Windows Sound Settings, I found them without trouble. MeFi wins again.
posted by SemiSalt at 9:29 AM on May 22, 2022
posted by SemiSalt at 9:29 AM on May 22, 2022
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posted by pipeski at 12:20 PM on May 21, 2022 [4 favorites]